Relays and switches can be useful for turning power on and off in response to a signal. In some embodiments, a flow of electricity can be turned on and off in response to a smaller electrical signal. Some relays and switches can be solid state devices which utilize a common drift region between the source and drain contacts and which are switched by operation of one or more gates or component switches which modify electric field(s) in the vicinity of the gate to change the conductivity of the drift region in the region of the gate.
Some solid state relays/switches, however, can require that the voltage applied to the component switches or gates be related to the voltage applied to the source and/or drain contacts, with the gate/component switch voltage being slightly higher or lower or have an opposite sign than the source/drain voltage. In applications where the voltage at the source/drain varies, the voltage of the gates would then also need to vary in relation to the voltage at the source/drain. As such, control of the gate voltage can be difficult or require a complicated and potentially expensive circuit design to provide acceptable control of the gates/component switches. As the voltages at the source/drain increase, the voltage of the control circuits also increase, and this increase in voltage of the control circuits can lead to larger circuit components, which can lead to higher capacitance within the control circuitry. Higher capacitance can in turn slow down the control circuit, and then slowdown the operation of the relay/switch. In applications where rapid switching of the relay/switch is desired or required or where rapid changes in voltage are involved, higher capacitance control circuits can be problematic as the increased capacitance can interfere with operation of the circuit at higher speeds (limits the speed). Accordingly, relays/switches with improved speed and power/voltage capability are desirable.